POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) - A Poway family is stocking up on resources in case a quarantine is triggered by the coronavirus.
As the father, Nate took his love of engineering home to support the family, "we have a big family, and food is expensive, so we’ve always tried to be self reliant."
Self reliant means gardens, poultry and fish. They have five kids.
Right next to the back deck is a garden at about hip level. “We have kale, we have thyme and parsley. My cilantro grows pretty well here, we have salad greens.” Nate listed off. That particular garden is watered by a fish tank full of a dozen or so Tilapia.
Fruit trees dot the backyard. Everything from apricot, apples and nectarines, to cherries, guavas and mulberries grow here.
In the opposite side of the yard is a chicken coop. "We have 11 chickens, we get eggs every day. About 7," his wife, Lacy said happily. She said they planned to only grow one more garden this summer but in the last week four more have been constructed and prepared for seeding.
In a shed next to the new garden beds, is a stockpile. Under a wood workbench sit brown metal tubs with 'Department of Defense Drinking Water' labels. Nate looked down at his clipboard and read off more supplies, “we have wheat for sprouting. We have about 100lbs. of brown sugar and honey."
In the last month they've ramped up gathering supplies.
"This week we basically went and bought a lot of stuff that we would normally buy in the next few months, but we bought it now in case we can’t go in the next few months." Nate said he is watching national news and concerned a quarantine could come to San Diego.
“We just have to take care of each other. There might not be food on the shelves, there might be kids staying home all day from school. We don’t know.” He said.
Now they're looking at their backyard in a different way. “We’ve got the pool for washing if we needed it... So this is the drinking water should we need it, we have two generators.”
Even their kids are aware and prepared to help. “I got it in case the coronavirus comes here," Shelby, 7, said showing us her medical kit.
The family hopes they don't ever have to use their stockpile but are prepared just in case.
